Thermostatic vent valve for radiators



May 14, 1946. E5. JAco'Bus v THERMOS'IATIC VENT VALVE FOR RADIATORS v Filed Aug. 15, 1944 IN VEN TOR.

@ M ATTORNEY escapingthrough' the valve.

Patented May 14, '1946 U'N IT'ELD:;STATEIS, PATENT OFFICE a V 2,400,297 "THERMOSTATIC VENTVALVEFOR a" RADIATORS ,Edward Jacobus, East Orange, N. J. App icat o -August 15, 1944, Serial No. 549,557 10min. (or. 236-629 This invention relates in general to thermotatic valves of the general type shownin my United States Patent 'No. 1,,547,1652 dated July 2 1925, to controlv the flow of a fluid or fluids therethrough in accordance with thetemperature f the fluids, and more particularly the invention relates to a valve having thermostatically controlled means for holding the valve open to permit fluids of a certainrange. of temperatures to pass therethrough ancl'closing' the valve to prevent fluids of temperaturesabove said. range from Valves of thistypeinc'lude a: substantially .semicircular expansfible bimetallic thermostatic .strip secured atone end to the casing of the valve with the other 'enddispos'ed substantially ppositeand distantl spaced from the valvefseat, and an elongate valve rod having atone endla valve head slidably guided in and. to cooperate with said valve seatand provided at its other end with a; reduced portion loosely fitted. within. an. opening in the second-mentioned end of said thermostatic strip, there being a shoulder at the inner end of said reduced portion abutting said thermostatic strip, whereb upon expansion and contraction of said thermostatic strip said valve rod will be moved longitudinally to cause said valve head to gree of sensitivity and accuracy in seating and unseating of the valve head.

Another object is to provide in such a valve means Which shall include a thin sheet metal casing and novel and improved means for connecting thereto a threaded nipple for attaching the valve to a radiator; and to obtain other advantages and results that will be brought out by the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a valve constructed in accordance with my invention, showing the same applied to a radiator;

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view through the valve taken on line 22 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is an enlarged front elevational view of the valve showing the latter removed from the radiator.

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the valve ing closed at both ends, said casing being conveniently formed of sheet'metal .by a drawing operation andfhaving one end in the form .of a

cover 2 to which is secured a threaded nipple 3 for connectingithe valve to a radiator A of a steam heating system; The casing] is provided I at one side thereof with an outlet passage '4 which may be formed ina nipple fi secured to the casing bymeans ofv a nut 6 threadedon the inner end thereof. The inner end of said nipple ,5 is formed with a valve seat 1 withwhi'ch coopera'tes a valve head Bcarried by a valve rod 9 mounted on a curved thermostatic strip Ill preferably bimetallic, one end' of which is secured to the casing'adjacent the valve seat I.

In the present instance one end of .the thermostatic strip Ill is provid'edwith an opening ll to'slip over the inner end of the nipple 5 between the nut 6 and a spacing washer II which abuts the casing, whereby the strip is securely fastened to the interior of the casing. The opposite end of the thermostatic strip is disposed substantially opposite the valve seat "I and distantly spaced therefrom, said end being longitudinally slit at I3 inwardly from its extremity and having a portion at one side of the slit bent outwardly toward the casing as indicated at I4.

The valve rod 9 is of a length to extend between the free end of the thermostatic strip and the valve seat .1, and the end of said rod opposite the valve head 8, is preferably rounded and frictionally and loosely abuts the side of the thermostatic strip. To hold said end of the valve rod against lateral movement, a guide bracket I5 is secured to one wall of the casing and has-an opening I 6 in which the valve rod 9 is freely slidable longitudinally.

In operation of the valve, when the radiator A is filled with air and steam is admitted thereto, the semi-circular thermostatic strip II] is distended so as to maintain the valve head 8 out of engagement with the seat I and permit escape of air from the casing. When steam enters the valve casing, the thermostatic strip is flexed so as to cause the free end thereof to move toward and transversely of the valve seat 1. This action exerts a longitudinal thrust on the valve rod 9 gree of sensitivity and accuracy in seating of the valve head is insured.

The end of the valve rod carrying the valve head is guided by the valve head sliding in the' concave valve seat, and to prevent complete disengagement of the valve rod from the valve seat, the outwardly bent portion I4 at the free extremity of the thermostatic strip will engage the valve casing I to limit such movement of the thermostatic strip as would permit the valve head to become completely detached from the 'valve seat.

For simplicity in manufacture, the nipple 3 is formed separately from the casing I which is made of sheet metal, and the nipple is inserted through an opening I! in said casing. The nipple is formed with an integral flange [8 to abut the innersurface of the wall of the casing and is provided with a notch I9 in which is seated a rivet 20 the opposite ends of which are upset over the outer surface of the wall of the casing and over the inner end of the nipple, as shown in Figure 2. This rivet and notch will prevent rotation of the nipple during the threading of valve into a radiator, and to provide a liquidtight connection between the nipple and the casing, solder is flowed into the opening I! around the nipple.

Preferably the valve head 8 is hemispherical so that it will accurately slide into contact with and snugly engage the valve seat.

When it is desired to adapt the valve to prevent the escape of water therethrough, a bell or float 2I may be rigidly secured to the valve rod 9, said float being so positioned with respect to the inlet 3 of the casing I that water entering the casing will raise the float and move the valve rod II so as to cause closing engagement of the valve head and valve seat I. It will be noted that the engagement of the valve rod 9 with thermostatic strip is particularly adapted for permitting the relative movement of the valve rod and the thermostatic strip as is necessary where a float as described is used.

It will be understood by those skilled in the .art that theidetails o1" construction'' of'the valve may be "modified or changed within the spirit and scope of the invention.

" What I claim is:

v 1 A valve ofnthe character described comprising a basing havi'n'g'an inlet and an outlet surrounded by a concave valve seat, a substantially semicircular thermostatic strip having one end fixedly secured to said casing adjacent said outlet and the other end distantly spaced from and substantially opposite said outlet and movable toward and from said outlet upon influx of hot and. 'cold fluid respectively into said casing, a

valve rod one end of which has an abutting slidable contact with the inner side of the secondmentioned' end'of said thermostatic strip, said valve rodhaving 'ahemi-spherical head at its other end to cooperate with said valve seat,

limits lateral swinging of said valve head, a guide on said casing adjacent "to but spaced from said inner side 'of the s'econ'd rnentioned end of said thermostatic strip and having an opening in which said "valve rod, is freely longitudinally slidable, and a float fixedly connected to said valve rod between said second-mentioned end of said strip and said outlet' to actuate said valve independently of said strip to close said outlet upon influx of liquid into said casing, said second-mentioned end of said thermostatic strip having means to abut said casing and limit movement of said end ofsaid thermostatic strip away from said valve seat and thereby prevent displacement of said valve head away from said seat.

' EDWARD JACOBUS. 

